Car cooler



NV 2 1948. J. E. KERcHEvAL `2,453,018

GAR COOLER Filed Maron 22, 194s INVENToR. JA'MES E. KERCHEVAL P 50 5' 5' 27 l ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 2, 1948 CAR COOLER James E. Kercheval, San Gabriel, Calif., assignor to General Air Conditioning Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application March 22, 1948, Serial No. 16,159

4 Claims. (Cl. 261-34) This invention has to do with ear coolers, relat- 'ing more particularly to portable and-detachable devices for cooling the air in a closed automobile.

While portable car coolers `are well-known in the art, those of which I am aware have possessed various shortcomingsthat is, they are either too costly, or are so complicated that considerable skill and effort are required to operate them, or they do not function to properly cool the air. Another disadvantage of prior car coolers has been that they usually consist of a humidifier rotatably mounted in a casing in the bottom of which a pool of water is maintained in which the humidifier is partially immersed. Thus when an automobile stops suddenly the water in the casing tends to slush out. Another disadvantage has been the impractical means provided for wetting the humidifier.

It is an object of my invention to overcome those disadvantages and to provide a device which is so constructed as to be conducive to economical manufacture and simplicity of operation.

It is a further object to provide a car cooler which is efficient in use and provides elective cooling of the air.

A more particular obiect is to provide a car cooler in which the cooling water is stored in a closed tank and is applied at will to a stationary porous humidifier pad through which the air travels, the water being passed to the humdier by a hand pump which is accessible inside the automobile upon which the device is mounted. The pump delivers the water to a distributor carried by the top of a humidifier pad so that the water` is then gradually released into the pad.

A still further object of the invention to provide a device of this character wherein the water is pre-cooled before passing to the humidifier.

Another object is to provide a novel damper control for the cooled air entering the Vehicle.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, for which purpose I shall now refer to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a .top plan view;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections taken, respectively, on the lines 2-2 and 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the humidifier with part broken away;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the pump; and

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the arrangement for withdrawing water from the tank and forcing it into the distributor which in return releases the water to the humidifier.

Referring now to the drawings, I show at 5 a cylindrical casing having an oval tank 6 fitted in and sealing the rear end of the casing. The tank is preferably welded to the casing along the bead 5a, one-half of the tank projecting into the casing where it is exposed to cooled air after it passes through the humidifier pad to be described. While the tank illustrated is made of metal, I may prefer to make that portion of the tank which proiects into the casing of a porous material to 'further the cooling of the water in the tank by evaporation..

A humidiiier 8 is diagonally mounted lengthwise of the casing between the front or inlet end 9 of the casing and the side oulet I0. This humidier is preferably made of a pad of porous material 8a, such as excelsior, sandwiched between two wire mesh sides 8b, the wire mesh merely serving to retain the pad and to pass air to and from the pad. Inasmuch as the humidifier is shaped to have a tight lit in the casing I find it unnecessary to otherwise secure it to the casing,

although this may be done if desired.

To maintain the humidifier in wetted condition I provide a water distributor in the form of a fabric sack l5 which is closed at its outer end I6 and has an inlet neck I'l into which a flexible hose I8 extends and discharges. The sack is preferably of a woven fabric so that when lled with water the water will gradually be released through the interstices of the fabric and deposited in the pad Ba. I

Secured to the side of the casing, around and communicating with the outlet Ill, there is a rectangular outlet neck 20 which has a plurality of dampers 2| pivoted at 22 to swing in order to open and close the oulet end of the neck. These dampers are individually operable manually and act not only as dampers to limit the amount of air passing from the dev-ice but also act as defiectors to direct the air in the vehicle as may be desired.

A conventional hand pump P is mounted in. the neck 20 upon a bracket 20a, and has an actuating rod 25 projecting from the neck to be accessible to an occupant of a car upon which the cooler is mounted.

A flexible hose 2l leads from the tank '5 to the pump inlet valve 51a in housing 5l and the previously mentioned hose I8 communicates with the pump outlet valve 51h, so that upon each outward stroke of the plunger water is drawn from the tank into the pump cylinder 50 and upon each inward stroke water is forced from the pump through the hose I8 into the sack I5 to be gradually released to the humidifier.

The pump cylinder has an outer end closure plug 52 which has a threaded neck extending through the bracket 20a to receive a nut 56. The pump plunger 53 has a seal ring 54 and the pressure stroke of the plunger is delivered by a coil spring 55 after the rod 25 is manually pulled outwardly and released.

To hang the device upon the door of an auto--` mobile I mount a pair of studs 30 on the neck and slidably mount on each stud, between nuts 3l and 32, a bracket 33 having a hooked outer end 33a adapted to engage over the rtop flange of an automobile door D. An extension 35 is provided on the top of the neck 20 and this extension has a' portion 36 of inverted V-shaped cross-section which is adapted to engage in the top glass channel C of the window in the door. By adjusting the nuts up or down the device may be adjusted to clamp on to any car door.

The open front end of the casing is protected against entrance of foreign matter such as insects or the like, by a screen 40 held on the casing by a sleeve which has a flange 42 overhanging the peripheral portion of the screen. The sleeve may be held on the casing as by screws 43.

The tank has a lling opening 45 in its top closed by a screw plug 46.

From the foregoing it will be observed that since I do not have to maintain a pool of water in the bottom of the casing, I may leave the front end of the casing, through which the air enters, substantially entirely open to increase the amount of air passing through the device. In conventional coolers this is impossible because in order to prevent the water from slushing out of the casing a funneled inlet must be provided which has a relatively restricted outlet.

The device is mounted upon the door of a vehicle with the open end of the casing disposed in the direction of travel and the neck 20 is positioned to discharge into the vehicle through the window of the door.' Usually the window glass G is moved up to engage the bottom of the neck.

ther characterized by the pressure generating y means having a `manually operated actuating member projecting from the discharge end oi' the outlet neck in position to be accessible to' an occupant of the car.

2. In a car cooler, a tubular casing having an air inlet in its front end, a rectangular air outlet neck projecting laterally from its side and a withdrawing water from the tank and lforcing Thus the pump-actuating plunger is readily aca cessible to an occupant of the car so that as the moisture in the humidifier becomes evaporated it can be replenished. The air enterslthe front end of the casing at one side of the humidifier pad and before it can pass out the neck the air must pass through the humidifier pad inasmuch as the pad is disposed between the casing inlet and outlet. This insures that the air entering the vehicle is eii'ectively washed and cooled. Inasmuch as considerable area of the water tank is exposed to this cooled air, the water is pre-cooled before being deposited on the pad.

Various modifications may be constructed if desired within the broader scope of the invention as dened by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a car cooler, a tubular casing having an air inlet in its front end, a rectangular air outlet neck projecting laterally from its side and a closed Water tank at its rear end, a humidifying pad stationarily mounted in the casing between the inlet and outlet neck, manually actuated pressure generating means mounted in the neck for withdrawing water from the tank and forcing it under pressure onto the humidifying pad, and means for mounting the casing on a car with its inlet facing the direction of travel of the car and with its outlet neck projecting into the car through a window thereof; said cooler being furit under pressure onto the humidifying pad, said pump having a cylinder mounted longitudinally of the outlet neck and a vplunger reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, the plunger having a stem portion projecting from the dischargeend of the outlet neck into position accessible toan occupant of the car; and bracket means on the outlet neck, said bracketmeans having a portion engageable with the door of a car for supporting the casing thereon with the outlet neck extending into the car.

3. A car cooler comprising a hollow, cylindrical casing having an air inlet in its front end, an air outlet in its side and a water tank closing its rear end, the tank having an ovate inner end portion projecting into the rear end portion of the casing to be exposed to air passing therethrough, a iiat, elongated humidifying pad stationarily mounted in the casing and being disposed diagonally longitudinally thereof between the air inlet and the air outlet, means for withdrawing water from the tank and forcing it under pressure onto the humidifying pad, and bracket means for mounting the casing on a car with its front end facing the direction of travel of the car and with its outlet positioned to discharge air into the car.

casing having an air inlet at its Vfront end, an air outlet in its side and a Water tank closing its rear end, the tank having an ovate ixmerend portion projecting into the rear end portion of the casing to be exposed to air passing therethrough, a at, elongated humidifying pad exltending diagonally longitudinally'` of 'the :casing JAMES E. KERCHEVAL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 522,989 King July 17, 1894 1,882,235 Spriggs Oct. 11, 1932 2,037,760 Chapman Apr. 21, 1936 2,148,161 Isles Feb. 21, 1939 2,223,884 Bolan Dec.. 3, 1940 2,230,020 Webster Jan. 28, 1941 2,277.552 Kneedler Mar. 24, 1942 2,435,798

Rice L leb. 10, 1948 4. A car cooler comprisinga hollow," cylindrical L 

